Festival programme summary
Monday 1 August
In the Jousting Arena the Visitor Centre At the Major Oak Open Air Theatre
11am OPENING CEREMONY Join Robin and some of the colourful festival cast, and a special guest as they get together to open the 32nd annual Robin Hood Festival. Let’s hope the Sheriff doesn’t spoil the fun!! Please note this event does not involve jousting.
Around the Major Oak Path
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folk and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm PONY RIDES* Follow signs to the Open Air Theatre Calling all budding knights and princesses, visit Kids Pony Parties and take a ride on one of their ponies - £3 per ride. Suitable for children up to a max weight limit of 8 stone.
2.30pm CHRIS MILLER FALCONRY WALK* A chance to get up close and personal with a beautiful bird of prey and learn about the sport of kings in this once Royal Hunting Forest. Adults £5, children £2.50. Limited spaces – pre-booking essential.
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm There will be plenty of musical fun, jesters, medieval magic, japes and jokes with fools.
At the Major Oak
11am to 3pm A one man band, medieval magic and crazy comedy.
12.30pm & 2.30pm SKIRMISHING Who knows what may happen when Robin discovers the Sheriff’s men have been demanding taxes from the poor in Sherwood Forest!
3pm MAJOR OAK MAYHEM A medley of festival entertainers hosted by the magnificent Medieval Maniax in one crazy cabaret.
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11.45am, 2pm & 4pm Alan a Dale and Rosie with entertain you with a variety of shows telling tales of Robin Hood with plenty of audience participation.
12.45pm THE BILLY OF LOXLEY SHOW Hilarious traditional jesting – fun-filled, non-stop and full of audience participation.
3pm WHAT A PALAVER present... A carnival of chaos, featuring the internationally renowned bed of nails, plus even more derring-do, fun and frivolity.
Tuesday 2 August
In the Jousting Arena No Jousting today the V
Around the Major Oak Path
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folk and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre
11.30am CHRIS MILLER FALCONRY WALK* A chance to get up close and personal with a beautiful bird of prey and learn about the sport of kings in this once Royal Hunting Forest. Adults £5, children £2.50. Limited spaces – pre-booking essential.
12.15pm
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROBIN HOOD Journey back through time on this gentle story walk through the greenwood to the mighty Major Oak. Adults £2, children £1.
2.30pm ROBIN’S BIRTHDAY BONANZA TRAIL Hip Hip Hooray. It’s our birthday today! Join Robin, The Sheriff and all the Outlaws at the Visitors Centre’s 40th birthday party. Collect an invitation from the Sheriff’s men in the centre. Then solve the clues as you journey through the Greenwood with lots of laughs on the way. £2 per invite. Last invitation issued at 3pm.
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm There will be plenty of musical fun, entertainers and fools to make you giggle and a short burst of ratiness!
At the Major Oak
11am to 4pm Have-a-go long bow archery*, a one man band, street performers, music and medieval magic.
11.30am & 1pm SKIRMISHING Who knows what may happen when Robin discovers the Sheriff’s men have been demanding taxes from the poor in Sherwood Forest!
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11am WHAT A PALAVER present... A carnival of chaos, featuring the internationally renowned bed of nails, plus even more derring-do, fun and frivolity.
12noon, 2pm & 3.45pm Alan a Dale and Rosie with entertain you with a variety of shows telling tales of Robin Hood with plenty of audience participation.
1pm THE BILLY OF LOXLEY SHOW Hilarious traditional jesting – fun-filled, non-stop and full of audience participation.
Festival evening event
7 – 9pm MUSIC IN THE FOREST Join some of the festival’s talented performers for a magical evening of music and song in the Open Air Theatre. Places limited, pre-booking required at Visitor Information (subject to availability and booking fee). Adults £5, children £2, family £12 (2 + 2).
Wednesday 3 August
In the Jousting Arena
12noon & 2pm FALCONRY DISPLAY Admire the speed, grace, power and beauty of hawks, falcons and owls.
2.30pm JOUSTING Enjoy the action, the pageantry, the thrills and spills at the first of the festival’s jousting tournaments. Major
Around the Major Oak
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folk and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm PONY RIDES* Follow signs to the Open Air Theatre Calling all budding knights and princesses, visit Kids Pony Parties and take a ride on one of their ponies - £3 per ride. Suitable for children up to a max weight limit of 8 stone.
11.30am IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROBIN HOOD Journey back through time on this gentle story walk through the greenwood to the mighty Major Oak. Adults £2, children £1.
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm Enjoy medieval minstrels, piper and drummer as well as energetic fools!
At the Major Oak
11am to 4pm Have-a-go long bow archery*, a one man band, street performers, music and medieval magic.
11.30am & 1.30pm THE MEDIEVAL MANIAX Giggle and guffaw as the fatal fools amuse and bemuse you. These award winning street- performers are ready to make you laugh with their historical hysterics.
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11am & 1pm WHAT A PALAVER present... A carnival of chaos, featuring the internationally renowned bed of nails, plus even more derring-do, fun and frivolity.
2pm ROBIN HOOD& THE SILVER ARROW Storytellers Alan a Dale and Rosie return to the festival to tell their tales with a little help from you the audience.
4pm ROBIN’S MERRIEST MEN! Another chance to become a star of the woodland stage as Alan a Dale and Rosie, storytellers extraordinaire, relate tales of everyone’s favourite outlaw.
Thursday 4 August
In the Jousting Arena No Jousting today.
Around the Major Oak Path
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folk and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre 11.30am CHRIS MILLER FALCONRY WALK* A chance to get up close and personal with a beautiful bird of prey and learn about the sport of kings in this once Royal Hunting Forest. Adults £5, children £2.50. Limited spaces – pre-booking essential
2.30pm THE TRIAL OF ROBIN HOOD OH NO! Robin Hood has been captured by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham! Only you can save him by becoming a medieval sleuth. Collect an evidence card from the Visitors Centre and journey through the forest to meet the witnesses who can clear his name! £2 per evidence card. Last card issued at 3pm.
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm Enjoy medieval minstrels, melodies and fools.
At the Major Oak
11am to 4pm Enjoy have-a-go long bow archery*, a one man band, street performers, music and skirmishing!
12noon THE MEDIEVAL MANIAX Giggle and guffaw as the fatal fools amuse and bemuse you. These award winning street- performers are ready to make you laugh with their historical hysterics.
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11am THE BILLY OF LOXLEY SHOW Hilarious traditional jesting – fun-filled, energetic, non-stop and full of audience participation.
12noon, 2pm & 4pm Alan a Dale and Rosie with entertain you with a variety of shows telling tales of Robin Hood with plenty of audience participation.
1pm FEE FI FO FIRE Using the character of the traditional English Fool who ‘hath not so much brains as earwax’ Peterkin’s show culminates in his famous finale, feeding the fire into the features of his face, whilst balanced precariously on a pair of rickety wooden stilts!
Festival evening event
7.30pm TWILIGHT TALES* Past Imagined will lead you on a gentle story walk through the magical forest telling spellbinding tales accompanied by enchanting melodies from medieval minstrel Trevor James! Tickets £4 per person are limited and must be purchased in advance (subject to availability and booking fee) at Visitor Information. Distance ¾ mile. Not suitable for under 7s. Sorry no dogs.
Friday 5 August
In the Jousting Arena No Jousting today.
Around the Major Oak Path
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folk and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm PONY RIDES* Follow signs to the Open Air Theatre Calling all budding knights and princesses, visit Kids Pony Parties and take a ride on one of their ponies - £3 per ride. Suitable for children up to a max weight limit of 8 stone.
11.30am CHRIS MILLER FALCONRY WALK* A chance to get up close and personal with a beautiful bird of prey and learn about the sport of kings in this once Royal Hunting Forest. Adults £5, children £2.50. Limited spaces – pre-booking essential.
1.30pm HUNT THE OUTLAW Back by popular demand! Get your hunting permit from the Sheriff before entering the depths of the forest to search out Robin and his outlaws. £2 per permit with a certificate for all successful hunters. Adult supervision essential. Last permits issued at 2pm. (This event will take place weather permitting).
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm There will be plenty of musical fun, minstrels, fools and magic.
At the Major Oak
11am to 4pm There will be plenty of medieval fun for you to enjoy and get involved in.
11am, 1pm & 2.30pm NO STRINGS PUPPETS See the sheep save the day as No Strings Puppets recreate the hilarious tale of Robin Hood and the Monk!
11.30am SKIRMISHING Who knows what may happen when Robin discovers the Sheriff’s men have been demanding taxes from the poor in Sherwood Forest!
3pm MAJOR OAK MAYHEM A medley of festival entertainers hosted by the magnificent Medieval Maniax in one crazy cabaret.
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11am, 1pm & 2.30pm Alan a Dale and Rosie with entertain you with a variety of shows telling tales of Robin Hood with plenty of audience participation.
12noon FEE FI FO FIRE Using the character of the traditional English Fool who ‘hath not so much brains as earwax’ Peterkin’s show culminates in his famous finale, feeding the fire into the features of his face, whilst balanced precariously on a pair of rickety wooden stilts!
3.45pm ‘NOUGHT TWIXT THE EARS’ A seriously silly half an hour entertainment combining acrobatics, comedy, fire eating and stilt walking, with Peterkin the Fool to round off your day at the festival!
Saturday 6 August
In the Jousting Arena
12noon & 2pm FALCONRY DISPLAY A reminder of the power and beauty of nature in this increasingly hi-tec world, the weekend’s falconry shows from festival newcomers Falconry Life are not to be missed.
2.30pm JOUSTING TOURNEY Sherwood’s ever-popular jousting tournaments featuring the talented Legends Medieval Stunt Team. See Robin battle it out with the Sheriff and his men.
Around the Major Oak Path
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folk and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre
11.30am IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROBIN HOOD Journey back through time on this gentle story walk through the greenwood to the mighty Major Oak. Adults £2, children £1.
3pm HAVE A GO JESTING Follow the signs to the Jousting Arena. Learn the skills essential to any medieval jester!
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 3.30pm Music, a burst of ratiness, folk dancing, a piper and fools.
At the Major Oak
11am to 4pm Meet colourful characters; enjoy longbow*, puppets and fools!
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11am & 1pm Alan a Dale and Rosie with entertain you with a variety of shows telling tales of Robin Hood with plenty of audience participation.
2pm NOUGHT ‘TWIXT THE EARS’ Peterkin embarks on a journey of serious silliness involving breath taking displays (of incompetence), balancing the world’s oldest egg (on his nose) and acrobatic balance (on top of an audience volunteer). Lose yourselves in the company of possibly the most foolish man in England.
Festival evening event
7.30pm – 10pm AN EVENING OF MEDIEVAL MERRIMENT!* Let your hair down with Robin and his merry band as they gather together with other members of the festival cast for an evening of mayhem and merriment. Let’s hope nobody’s told the Sheriff! Tickets, adult £6, child £3, family (2 adults, 2 children) £15. Pre-book on 01623 823202
Sunday 7 August
In the Jousting Arena
12noon & 2.15pm FALCONRY DISPLAY Admire the speed, grace, power and beauty of hawks, falcons and owls.
3pm LET BATTLE COMMENCE! Thrill to the colour and pageantry of medieval jousting, as the Legends team take to the saddle for the final time this festival with a daring display of horsemanship and armed combat.
Around the Major Oak Path
Enjoy story tellers; look out for the medieval minstrel as well as festival folks and traders.
Starting from the Visitor Centre
2pm PROCESSION Join characters from the festival cast in a procession to the Jousting Arena for this afternoon’s festival finale.
3pm HAVE A GO JESTING Follow the signs to the Jousting Arena. Learn the skills essential to any medieval jester!
At the Visitor Centre
11am to 4pm Puppets, what a palaver, a piper and fools!
At the Major Oak
11am to 4pm Enjoy longbow*, fools, magic medieval style and major oak mayhem!
Open Air Theatre (tickets required)
11am & 1pm Alan a Dale and Rosie with entertain you with a variety of shows telling tales of Robin Hood with plenty of audience participation.
12noon ‘NOUGHT TWIXT THE EARS’ Peterkin embarks on a journey of serious silliness involving breath taking displays (of incompetence), balancing the world’s oldest egg (on his nose) and acrobatic balance (on top of an audience volunteer). Lose yourselves in the company of possibly the most foolish man in England.
*PRICES PONY RIDES: £3 per ride WALK WITH HAWKS: Adult £5, child £2.50, sorry no dogs.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROBIN HOOD: Adult £2, child £1. LONGBOW ARCHERY: £3 for 5 arrows.
OPEN AIR THEATRE Tickets on sale at the gate15 minutes before each show and each show is approx.30 minutes. Adult £1, child and concession 50p, family (2 children, 2 adults) £2.50 per performance.
You can find out the full festival programme, including times, activities, festival map and more, by picking up a Souvenir Programme for £1 at the festival.